The Limits of Transnationalism - Softcover

Green, Nancy L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022660828X ISBN 13: 9780226608280

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2019

Synopsis

Transnationalism means many things to many people, from crossing physical borders to crossing intellectual ones. The Limits of Transnationalism reassesses the overly optimistic narratives often associated with this malleable term, revealing both the metaphorical and very real obstacles for transnational mobility. Nancy L. Green begins her wide-ranging examination with the story of Frank Gueydan, an early twentieth-century American convicted of manufacturing fake wine in France who complained bitterly that he was neither able to get a fair trial there nor to enlist the help of US officials. Gueydan’s predicament opens the door for a series of inquiries into the past twenty-five years of transnational scholarship, raising questions about the weaknesses of global networks and the slippery nature of citizenship ties for those who try to live transnational lives. The Limits of Transnationalism serves as a cogent reminder of this topic’s complexity, calling for greater attention to be paid to the many bumps in the road.

About this title

About the Author:

Nancy L. Green is professor of history at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris, as well as the author of The Other Americans in Paris, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Review:

“As the legal contours of citizenship are being reshaped by new forms of globalized trade and multi-national families, Green offers a fresh perspective on the history of crossing borders. Her dry wit and shrewd eye for paradox enliven her account of how men and women have defined the boundaries of belonging as they navigated the shifting legal landscapes of the United States and Europe, and how scholarly interpretations of what they were up to have fluctuated over the years. An important addition to our understanding of the protections of citizenship and its limitations.” (Linda K. Kerber, University of Iowa)

“Green explores the complex stories of how transnational lives were lived, while also making an important historiographical intervention: living between two nation states and across their borders can frustrate migrants’ life plans and pose social, legal, and economic challenges as well as offer them rich opportunities for change and creativity.” (Donna Gabaccia, University of Toronto)

“With this learned, witty, and elegantly written volume, Green has written a book that illuminates the limits of transnationalism and yet shows how much is to be learned when migration researchers extend their lens across state boundaries. A work that scholars and students will read with pleasure and profit.” (Roger Waldinger, University of California, Los Angeles)

“Recommended. . . Green does a salutary job of arguing the case.” (Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 022660828X
• ISBN 13: 9780226608280
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208